Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr is getting more involved in training, and two New Zealand-bred newcomers to his Serpentine stable, Reset The Bar and Final Collect, gave him a training double at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Each pacer was having his second start for Hall and showed that they will win more races in better company.
Reset The Bar, a $5.60 chance from barrier five in the 2130m APG Perth Yearling Sale Pace, was in sixth place at the bell and under lock and key on the pegs before he got clear approaching the home turn and flew home, three wide, to get up and snatch victory by a half-head from the pacemaker and $2.25 favourite Sugar Shake.
Reset The Bar challenged unsuccessfully for the early lead before getting to the inside and being shuffled back as the early leader Cee Dee Three ($6) surrendered the lead to Sugar Shake after 500m.
“Things felt okay when I got there (behind the leader), though I probably should have stayed one off and then pushed my way to the front when Sugar Shake was coming,” said Hall. “I didn’t think he was going to get there (to win) when I got out, but he knuckled down well.
“Reset The Bar is a nice horse at home, but when he comes here, he’s a bit of a pain who jumps and throws his head around. However, he is good to drive.”
Reset The Bar is a lightly-raced Sweet Lou five-year-old who has now had 20 starts for seven wins, three placings and $66,729. His younger half-brother Full Swing Denario has impressed, with his 15 starts (all in WA) producing seven wins, four placings and $57,983.
Final Collect, an Art Major six-year-old, was a warm $1.80 favourite from out wide at barrier seven in the 2130m APG Perth Yearling Sale This Sunday Pace. He settled at the rear before Hall quickly sent him forward to get to the breeze outside $61 outsider Burghley Shard.
After a slow opening quarter of 31sec. Hall sent Final Collect to the front with 1300m to travel. The final quarters were run in 28sec. and 28.9sec. and Final Collect, rating 1.57.2, won by a length from $34 chance Manhattan Moon, who ran on from eighth at the bell.
Final Collect won at two of his 12 New Zealand appearances and then had 48 starts in Victoria for six wins and 13 placings. His record now stands at 62 starts for nine wins, 16 placings and stakes of $175,974. He is out of the Mach Three mare Collectable, who earned $111,038 from three wins (in New Zealand) and eight placings from 26 starts.
Final Collect gave Hall his third winner on Friday night, and he finished with a quartet of wins after scoring in the final event with Girl Of Brightness.
Penny Black warmed up for next Friday night’s $50,000 Lombardo Pace in fine style with a strong first-up victory in the $25,000 APGold.com.au Pace over 2130m. The Michael Young-trained mare was the $1.80 favourite who was driven confidently by Emily Suvaljko, racing without cover while Wonderful To Fly ($14) was setting the pace.
Penny Black got to the front on the home turn and held on to win by a neck from $17 chance Madam Publisher, who ran on determinedly after enjoying an ideal passage, one-out and one-back.
Penny Black rated 1.56.6 after final quarters of 27.3sec. and 28.1sec. She has raced 41 times for 17 wins and 12 placings for stakes of $403,075.
Miss Leopatra, the $4.30 second fancy, ended Wishing Belle’s winning sequence of seven when she set the pace from the No. 1 barrier in a 2130m event for three-year-old fillies and rated 1.55.7 over the 2130m to beat Wishing Belle, the $1.55 favourite, who began from the outside barrier in the field of eight at her first start after a six-month absence.
Miss Leopatra, driven confidently by Jocelyn Young for trainer Cameron Ross, has won twice from eight starts and is assured of a bright career.
Nine-year-old New South Wales-bred Trittrittbangbang celebrated his 236TH start with an upset victory as a $28.50 chance in the 2130m Harness Racing Is Our Focus Pace.
Trittrittbangbang was driven by Shannon Suvaljko for part-owner and trainer Matt Scott. He began from the inside of the back line and raced three back on the pegs while Bettor Move Along ($10) was setting the pace.
Suvaljko got Trittrittbangbang into the clear 220m from home and the veteran pacer was sixth at the 100m before charging home, out four wide, to snatch victory by a half-neck from $5.50 chance My Little Big Man, who had taken the lead in the home straight.
This was the evergreen Trittrittbangbang’s first metro-class success and took his earnings to $200,297 from 24 wins and 46 placings.
